Trio confirmed with Legionnaires'

Three of the veterans' party have been confirmed with the disease

The number of people confirmed with Legionnaires' disease after a war veterans' trip to Malaysia has risen.

Three members of the 115-strong King's Own Scottish Borderers' party have been struck with the disease.

One of the people affected is still in Malaysia, one is in Australia and the third in the Borders General Hospital.

All three are said to be responding to treatment. Tests are being carried out on a fourth group member thought to have contracted the disease.

Two of the confirmed cases are wives who accompanied their husbands on the trip, while the other is a veteran from Hawick.

More vulnerable

He is being treated in isolation at Borders General Hospital - it is thought he has a history of kidney trouble, making him more vulnerable to the bug.

KOSB veteran Donald Fairgrieve, who helped organise the trip, said it was hard to be sure where the disease originated.

The group travelled hundreds of miles, staying in a number hotels during the trip.

The veterans and their wives returned last week after the two-week visit to camps where they served in the 1950s.

Other members of the group have been advised to see a doctor if they start to feel unwell.

First outbreak

Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia or lung infection.

It got its name from the first known outbreak, which was among a group of army veterans from the American Legion staying in a hotel.

The bacteria was named legionella - species of which are natural inhabitants of water and can be detected in rivers, lakes and streams.

Legionnaires' disease can be fatal, especially in those who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly or those with chronic disease.